A family copes with divorce in this poignant Australian banking ad
DDB Sydney tackles a sensitive subject for Westpac
Editor's Pick
The days when all commercials depicted perfect, happy families might be fading, but divorce is still a topic rarely touched upon by advertisers.
Ikea has been one of the few to address the topic in its "Where Life Happens" campaign in Sweden, and now here's a poignant ad from Australian bank Westpac that takes a look at the financial implications of splitting up.
Set to a soulful rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" by singer/songwriter Conrad Sewell, the spot shows a young boy helping his mom adjust to life on her own. We see their relationship develop as he helps her in all sorts of ways; putting up fairy lights, helping her take the garbage out; protecting her from the sun as she lies on the beach; catching a massive spider, and in one scene, warding off a flirty dishwasher repair guy who looks like he'd be trouble. Then, we see him spending time with his dad, after a slightly tense handover with the mom. "If you're separating, we're here to help," says the tagline.
The spot was created by DDB Sydney and directed by Garth Davis of Exit Films.
It suggests the pain of divorce in subtle ways rather than laying it on thick. “To see such a young boy, stoically step up and support his parents through their difficult separation was deeply affecting," Davis sayd. "He was the symbol of hope, the glue that held them all together. It rang true to me; kids do that when their parents hurt, they innocently overcompensate and remind us of what really matters.”
The campaign is running across Australian TV, radio, digital, out of home, radio and social. It's part of an ongoing campaign titled "Help" that's also included a spot about losing a loved one.
Credits
- Date
- Mar 12, 2019
- Client :
- Westpac
- Agency :
- DDB-Sydney
- Westpac Group Head of Brand, Advertising & Media :
- Jenny Melhuish
- Acting Head of Advertising :
- Melanie Portelli
- Senior Manager, Westpac Advertising :
- Shannon Jenkin
- Director of Media Planning, Westpac :
- Carly Boyle
- Chief Creative Officer :
- Ben Welsh
- Executive Creative Director :
- Tara Ford
- Head of Art :
- Noah Regan
- Creative Partner :
- Matt Chandler
- Senior Art Director :
- Richard Apps
- Senior Copywriter :
- Jeff Galbraith
- Head of Integrated Production :
- Sevda Cemo
- Managing Partner :
- Chiquita King
- Group Account Director :
- Topher Jones
- Senior Business Director :
- Sarah Gardan
- Business Manager :
- Bianca Cohn
- Head of Planning :
- Dom Hickey
- Senior Planner :
- James Davis
- Production Company :
- Exit Films
- Director :
- Garth Davis
- Executive Producer :
- Leah Churchill Brown
- Producer :
- Karen Sproul
- Edit Facility :
- The Butchery
- Editor :
- Jack Hutchings
- Sound :
- Song Zu
- Sound Engineer :
- Abigail Sie
- Post Production :
- ALT VFX
- VFX Post Supervisor :
- Dave Edwards
- VFX Post Producer :
- Adrianna Spanos
- Music Supervision :
- Level Two Music
- Music Supervisor :
- Karl Richter
- Casting :
- Kirsty McGregor CGA CSA
- Casting :
- Gemma Brown CGA
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